beach Posted August 3, 2011 Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 Well as a new old master comes to the table I must admit Iam impressed with both the work of the manufacturing as well as how this kiteperforms. I was given the opportunity to work with Mr. Carl Robertshaw who hasbeen designing and flying kites forever it seems and thru a joint effort ofRevolution and Carl we have his addition of the Rev 1, these kites have hisspecial flare to them in both graphics and design. I must admit after havingspent some time on them they do have a feel that really works in flight and hisideas of design are both sound and very responsive and that's from a guy whowas never a Rev 1 fan. Well let me let Carl tell you a bit, but in closingthanks Carl you are a true addition to the Masterpiece design team… CarlRobertshaw Carl studiedGraphic Design at the world-famous Central St Martins College of Art and Designin London. While travelling on an exchange course to Australia, he met and flewwith some of the best kiters and teams of the time including Top of the Lineand High Performance. Carlʼs final year thesis concentrated on the physical andconceptual design of sport kites, specifically colour and pattern arrangementof panel graphics and how they affected the kitesʼ behaviour. Carl was one ofthe founder members of Airkraft, who were the first non-US team to win theWorld Championships in 1995. Carl has won the only Individual Quad-Line WorldChampionship, held in Dieppe France in 1998 (with the Rev 1) and recently wonthe World title in 2010 with Scratch Bunnies, the team he is now a member of.Carl has been making kites for over 20 years. He lives and works in Londondesigning and consulting on fabric structures for events and architects usingkites as his main inspiration. Revolution 1graphics. "Before adesign looks good it has to function properly. The1920ʼs Bauhaus art movementʼsmotto "Form Follows Function" is central to the panel layout of this new Rev 1.Like the woodcuts and drawings of the Bauhaus, the image, in this case theoutline of the kite, is dissected and abstracted. The dilemma is: how do youmake the graphics work coherently with the outline and the flightcharacteristics of the kite? Over the past5 years Iʼve explored the kites geometry and realised that the two halves ofthe kite dictate visual perspective. In order to illustrate this, a third lineis drawn from the outside edges to the centre point. Adding another set oflines perpendicular to the vanishing point line dictates rotation, and a gridemerges to base a panel layout on. Mix this grid with the iconic Lee Sedgewickgraphic and the composition starts to make sense." Revolution 1fabric structure for performance. "I havealways flown the Rev 1 as it is stable and you have more control in light andstrong wind than the Rev 1.5. With an Icarex sail and tight bungees, the kiteis as fast and as responsive as a Rev 1.5. I have modified the sail in a coupleof ways – extending the depth of the sail at the V so each half of the kite ismore connected to the other, which helps reverse flight. The other modificationis the increased and continuous curve in the Leading Edge, which helps controlthe Trailing Edge even more, with the added benefit of keeping the sail undertension in all orientations. The graindirection in the panels is important and the correct layout in this designimproves the stability of the sail. Iʼve used rolled seams as these arestronger than the fabric itself, and they provide stiffness to the sail, whichagain helps to support the trailing edge. Each kite is sewn with accuracy to within2mm to ensure that each kite is true to the design." Colours. "Each colour scheme is unique. Iʼvedesigned over 150 colour variations. There are various groups of colour schemesthat are based on Op Art, Stereograms or LudwigHirschfeld-Mack colour mixers. I just hope you likethe colours! The Revolution logo on all the kites is dark grey." Please call the office or me for prices..... 858-679-5785 or 619-750-8770 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnmitchell Posted August 3, 2011 Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 Fantastic! I have known Carl since 1993 when we ran across each other at the EuroCup in Vienna Austria. At that time he was flying with Team Airkraft and I was just doing quadline demos as quadline was not a part of the EuroCup competition. The following year Quadline was in and we competed in Quads at The EuroCup at St. Moritz, Switzerland. Carl won first place and I ended up third. Over the next few years we competed against each other and Carl always won the overall competition. Carl always had some secret about his REV I's I could never figure out. Now it looks like he has let the cat out of the bag. I have to get my hands on one of his kites! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david ellison Posted August 3, 2011 Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 I've been after one of Carl's Rev 1 designs for ages and it's great to see the company acknowledging his creatvity. Can't wait for mine to arrive very shortly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felix Posted August 3, 2011 Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 Well as a new old master comes to the table I must admit I am impressed with both the work of the manufacturing as well as how this kite performs. I was given the opportunity to work with Mr. Carl Robertshaw who has been designing and flying kites forever it seems and thru a joint effort of Revolution and Carl we have his addition of the Rev 1, these kites have his special flare to them in both graphics and design. I must admit after having spent some time on them they do have a feel that really works in flight and his ideas of design are both sound and very responsive and that's from a guy who was never a Rev 1 fan. Well let me let Carl tell you a bit, but in closing thanks Carl you are a true addition to the Masterpiece design team… <snip> (Central) St Martins College of Art and Design is of course very close to my heart <grins> They were the two institutions that I checked out back in 1973 before opting for St. Martins and getting accepted on the painting course. The two institutions subsequently merged. I look forward to flying one of these kites especially after conversations with Carl in Cervia earlier this year. In the beginning there was the Rev 1. Some of us learned to fly it with no alternative option. Felix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahofer Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 Picked mine up from Ben a few weeks ago. Love it in low winds. IMAG0086 by aphofer, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hezz Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 Mmm! Did I mention my birthday is next week?... Hezz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jburka Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 Anyone want to take a stab at comparing this Rev I variant to the Zen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkey Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 Where is the damn *LIKE* button anyways. Bring one to WSIKF, I wanna fly it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aerochic Posted August 5, 2011 Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 I was So Glad I had gotten a chance to see one or two of them at Liberty! They're really pretty Revs and beautifully sewn. I have no doubt they'll go fast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortflyer Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 Picked mine up from Ben a few weeks ago. Love it in low winds. IMAG0086 by aphofer, on Flickr That's the best looking one I've seen so far. Nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 SWEEEEEET! I'm going out now to pick a few more leaves off the money tree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david ellison Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 So this is the one I ordered from the first set of colour combinations that Carl drew up. Looks even better in the sky than I'd hoped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hezz Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 So this is the one I ordered from the first set of colour combinations that Carl drew up. Looks even better in the sky than I'd hoped I second that, Dave. I love the way these sail designs glint in the sunlight, as you spin the kite around, the panels seem to illuminate - the faster you spin, the better the effect! Amazing! I think Ben described it better as "F g Awesome!!!" Love mine! Hezz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[email protected] Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 *DROOLS *DROOLING Does it really handle like a 1.5? Could someone please write up a review on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiteLife Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 I flew Monkey's briefly at WSIKF, the handling seemed somewhat similar to a Zen (bigger belly) in my hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcom714 Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 I flew Monkey's briefly at WSIKF, the handling seemed somewhat similar to a Zen (bigger belly) in my hands. Concur....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 Mine arrived Thursday, but no chance to fly it until today. I love mine too! I'd like to see loads of them flying together, what a picture that would make! Thanks Carl, Ben, Lolly and Rev Maggie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felix Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 I flew Monkey's briefly at WSIKF, the handling seemed somewhat similar to a Zen (bigger belly) in my hands. <grins> ...but did you fly it with Carl's bridle? </grins> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach Posted July 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 Mine arrived Thursday, but no chance to fly it until today. I love mine too! I'd like to see loads of them flying together, what a picture that would make! Thanks Carl, Ben, Lolly and Rev Maggie When I heard it was for you I knew it had to live there with you.... Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 When I heard it was for you I knew it had to live there with you.... Ben Hi Ben, It has taken it's time coming home!!! It is the one I would have ordered had I been able to afford it last year. Strange I know, there must be something in this 'Dark Side' business! I know a couple or three other folks who want one! There must be more?? Just tuning into the 'DS' on their behalf Thanks again and a huge hug Maggie XXX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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